Calamitous winds surrounded my soul like the wailing breath of unfathomable darkness and danced around my whirling disoriented body. I screamed in sorrow while plummeting beyond the threshold of time and space. My golden hair wildly whipped in all directions and familiar feeling shadows enshrouded me in a protective yet chaotic embrace. The salty tears which rolled off my cheeks were lost in the swirling ocean of stygian black, and my heart remained in the abyss as I was ripped away from the man that I loved.
What felt like two huge hard arms suddenly wrapped around my upper torso, and I was forcefully yanked against a cold solid mass. Then everything was abruptly jerked to a stop with a loud thump, causing me to fearfully yelp and squeeze my eyes closed. All the whirling chaos vanished, while my fingertips lightly grazed over some sort of smooth metal beneath me.
The shrill chirping of crickets and the soft trickling song of a winding stream suddenly caressed my ears, while the evergreen scents of an earthly forest filled my nose. Feeling rather discombobulated, I nervously peeked open an eye, seeing the last dim rays of the eventide sun dancing across slender blades of wavering green grass.
Oh my god! I'm back!
My eyes flew open, then widened further as I noticed writhing shadows beginning to swirl through the grass... Wait a minute? What?
"Va-Valarendrik?" My voice softly trembled with a faint flicker of hope.
The arms around me grew slightly tighter in response and I realized that his peppery scent was as strong as ever. In utter disbelief, I slowly trailed my gaze along shadowy sprawled-out hair leading to the malevolent regal armor beneath me, then to the small obsidian crystal wrapped around a strong pale grey neck. I frantically pushed my wildly disheveled hair out of my face, causing my ghastly tiara to fall off as I excitedly lifted my head up to look at him.
"Oh my goodness! Valarendrik, you're here!" I practically squealed in excitement. He was laying on his back, staring at the darkening sky and fluttering green leaves above, looking completely shocked stiff and utterly bewildered by the sight before him. "You came with me! I'm back home and you're still with me!" I elatedly tried to jump up and kiss him all over his dumbfounded face but his grip remained firm, keeping me pinned against his chest... "Valarendrik?"
His mouth limply fell open in awe, revealing his sharp white teeth as he silently tried to speak. Keeping me tightly held in his arms, he slowly sat up while looking around in absolute astonishment. "Is this earth?" He practically whispered with wide wonderous eyes, gazing around at the pale quivering umbels of Queen Anne's lace and blue wood-aster blooms encircling us.
I could barely contain my joy as I answered him. "Yes! Yes! This is earth! Oh my goodness I'm so glad to be back and that you're here with me!" I trembled with excitation while energetically glancing around at the vaguely familiar forestland like a newly adopted shelter dog who was going to the park for the first time in years.
The familiar earthly sound of a mourning dove softly cooing in the distance was music to my ears, while he slowly unhooked one arm from around my waist. With slight hesitancy, he reached out and gently ran his hand along the long lush grass. "Green grass..." He softly mused. His ashen skin and sharp black claws looked utterly alien against each vibrant blade as they delicately bowed beneath his inquisitive touch. "Everything is so bright and colorful..." He seemed almost in a trance as he quietly spoke, tightening his arm around me while glancing up and around at all the beauteous verdure surrounding us.
His otherworldly eyes of garnet encased within obsidian fell to gaze into my own eyes, staring at me like I were a ghost, with a torrent of both joy and disbelief washing over him. The sweetly fragrant forest wind gently teased the twisting ends of his hair, as he cradled the side of my head with a large shaky hand. A single black tear slid down his cheek as though the sight of me overwhelmed him with a deep sense of absolution and love.
"Holy fuck..." He whispered with a slight breathy laugh, right before passionately pressing his lips to mine in a yearnful, crushing kiss.
I eagerly kissed him in return, parting my earthly lips to welcome the invasion of his abyssal tongue. Tears of joy sprung from my eyes, poured straight from the well of love and relief overflowing in my heart. I didn't have the slightest clue how, but the abyssal man who I loved dearly had fallen into my world with me. With frantic passion, I wove my arms around his neck and entwined my fingers in his shadowy locks, never wanting to let him go.
He slowly leaned me backward as our lips desperately danced, laying me down upon a bed of little blue forget-me-not blooms while deepening the kiss. And as his large shadowy frame fell upon my small form, the last rubescent rays of the sun fell below the distant mountains, awakening the glimmering starlight of the heavens above us. A large roaming hand eagerly caressed along my side, while his other arm remained possessively wrapped around my back. Then his smiling face slightly pulled away with a few extra smaller kisses, while the crown softly twitched upon his head.
"I thought I'd never see you again." I breathlessly whispered with a strange mixture between a sob and a laugh bouncing from within my chest. My tremulous fingers gently tucked a lock of ebon hair behind his pointed ear.
"So did I." He murmured, then closed his eyes and captured my lips once more.
His kisses began to stray from my mouth, peppering his soft lips down the pale column of my neck, through the sloping valley between my breasts, then to my stomach. The black water of his tears dampened the silken material of my wedding gown as he lovingly pressed his face against my belly. He laid a soft kiss just below my navel, one that lacked any sort of lust but was rather purely of love. Both of his hands swooped behind my lower back, tightly holding me closer with an overjoyed smile.
The long grass and wildflower blossoms rustled in the slightly chilly breeze all around us, as an unspoken love for the little life we'd unwittingly conceived fell upon our souls. My hand trembled as I tenderly stroked the back of his head, watching as the shadowy wisps fluttered over my fingers. A symphony of chirping crickets and croaking tree frogs echoed through the dark, along with a big bumbly barred owl who joined the nighttide choir with a few eerie hoots, while we shared our tender moment.
"I don't understand how I managed to get here." He softly spoke while shaking his head, breaking the quiet between us as he looked up at me with confusion.
My fingertips gently trailed down his tear-stained cheek, before my hand slipped to gesture in a circle as I spoke. "I don't know either... You had me tightly wrapped in your shadows, then you used them to activate the necklace..." I tapped my chin in contemplation, then paused with a look of realization. "You activated the necklace!"
He furrowed his brows in thought, while the wavering branches above him started to softly glow as they caught the first glimmering moonbeams of the night. "I suppose my shadows are a part of me, so I was technically holding you while I pushed it?"
"Yes! That must be it! You pushed the necklace and you were holding me!" I joyously exclaimed... and then a black cloud of fury suddenly swirled over my soul... "Wait a minute... You pushed the necklace..." I drawled with angry narrowed eyes, seething with pregnancy hormones. "You tried to send me away! You bastard!"
An 'oh, shit' expression swiftly crossed his features. He quickly sat back and began nervously motioning with his hands as he tried to explain. "I sincerely didn't want to! I spoke with Hsarohpem in a void and saw some truly horrific things... Things that made me realize that the abyss will never be safe for you or our child. You must understand that I had to do it!" He quickly rambled out. "I can fully explain!"
I lunged up and furiously tried to wrap my hands around his stupid neck in an attempt to strangle him. Only, they were much too small and weak to have any effect. "So you sent me back to earth alone to raise a half tenverian child all by myself!? Do you have any idea how idiotic that is!?" I practically growled.
"Shhh, shhh, calm down, Lucy. I do not wish for you to hurt yourself." He gently pried my hands off and kissed each palm, then furrowed his brows in confusion. The moment he released them I proceeded to frantically patter little slaps onto his chest like a maniac.
"And do not treat me like I am so damn fragile!" I angrily asserted, then immediately recalled how I'd once sprained my wrist while opening a tightly sealed jar of salsa.
With lightning speed, he recaptured my left hand and began inspecting my palm, lightly caressing it with his thumb. "Your palm has already healed?" His head tilted to the side in bewilderment, ignoring my tantrum. Then he looked at his own hand. "And so has mine?... That is very odd." He warily reached up and clasped the crystal around his neck, then began carefully removing it so it wouldn't get snagged by the grasping fingers of his crown.
The moon remained shyly hidden behind the lofty trees, yet it began to shed its glistening crepuscular beams through holes in the wavering canopy of tangled branches above, softly illuminating little patches of the forest floor with a cascading lambent glow. It was far brighter than it had been in the abyss, allowing my darkness-acclimated eyes to see the smooth uncut skin of my palm perfectly.
"Did you heal it?" I softly questioned while closing and reopening my hand, forgetting my anger as my mood once again swiftly changed.
"I think it was likely this necklace." The obsidian crystal glittered beautifully in the lunar light as it gently swung upon a silver chain. "Azathoth's son gave it to me. He said that it would only undo the effects of sorcery, but it seems to have given me immense power while wearing it." His ruby eyes followed its movement as it slowly swayed between us, then he put it in his pants pocket for safekeeping. "Who knows what else it can do?" He quietly murmured.
I reached up and pulled the other enchanted necklace off of myself, not wanting to accidentally journey back to the abyss. Unlike the crystal, the diamond-shaped stone seemed to swallow the moonlight with its unfathomable blackness as I held it up to him. "Here, you should probably hold onto this one too."
"Lucilia..." His claws wrapped around it, then he tucked that one away too with a slightly forlorn expression. "I don't know how long I can stay here." He apologetically sighed.
Fear instantly squeezed my heart. I speedily wrapped my arms around his neck in a tight choke-hold embrace as if I were holding on for dear life. "No! Don't you fucking dare leave me!" My face buried into the side of his neck, while he wrapped his arms around me in return. "I love you, Valarendrik! I want you with me! And I need you to help raise our child! I won't let you go!"
He seemed in deep thought for a moment. "Perhaps I can float between our worlds now that we have a necklace of our own?" His shoulder slightly shrugged beneath me. "But I should return at some point. Sagacor and all the others are still in the abyss, and it's to my understanding that humans will be unlikely to let me live here among them... I am well aware that I am monstrous to your kind." He sounded rather sad about that last part.
My gaze peered over his shoulder at the way the moon was casting a mystical glow over the pale lacey umbels, making them look like ghostly clusters as they danced in the breeze. It was true that he would have to remain hidden from the world if he stayed. There would be no possible way to pass his shadowy abyssal appearance off as human. And I hadn't forgotten about the others, but they weren't lingering in the front of my thoughts with all the commotion we'd just been through. The way they were slowly getting picked off by the native tenverians, hiding their children indoors, and living in constant fear streamed through my mind and broke my heart. I sighed, knowing that Valarendrik was right.
"I understand. They need you." My voice quivered with dismay at the thought of him leaving, then I moved to look him in the eyes. "But I need you in my life too." I firmly stated while poking him on the chest. "Will you promise that you will always return to me if you go back? That you will not abandon me and your child like you just tried to do?"
A spark of some unidentified emotion flickered in his eyes, as though my words had triggered something deep within him. He growled and pressed his lips to my forehead in a quick heated kiss. "I have never had any intention of abandoning you or our child. Sending you away was the most difficult thing I have ever done. And I only did it for your own safety and survival." His armor clanked as he lifted me up bridal style, holding me close while swiftly moving to his feet. He looked deeply into my eyes with the utmost sincerity and love. "And yes, I promise that I will always return to you. Perhaps this accidental traversing of worlds has been a gift, allowing us to remain together."
...Or you could have just chosen to come with me in the first place, you big dramatic doofus.
I kept my thoughts to myself and wove my hand through the shadows of his hair. The starlight trembled upon the glittering stream, mirroring the immense love twinkling in his ruby eyes. "Then let's cherish this gift and be a family together." A loving smile spread across my lips.
A look of surprise briefly fluttered across his features, then an excited sharp-toothed grin bright enough to rival the sun lit up his face. "Yes, we are family now, aren't we?" He joyfully spoke, then pressed the tip of his nose against mine, still smiling widely. "I have my own family!"
"Oh my!" His grip abruptly tightened as he begin to happily spin us around in the moonlight, laughing and expressing how wonderful it was that he had a family to love and cherish. Shadows swirled like black mist at his feet, dancing through the wavering flowers and tangled vines. A soft giggle chimed from my lips and he slowly came to a hovering stop, floating above the round mossy stones I had long ago walked across. He enthusiastically peppered little kisses all along my neck, then pressed a long lingering smooch to my lips.
"Lucilia?" His deep voice softly asked, becoming a bit more serious.
"Yes, Valarendrik?" I quietly replied, shifting my gaze between his otherworldly eyes.
"I know that our marriage wasn't by our own choice, but I am still very pleased to have you as my wife." A small shy smile graced his features, while a few strands of wispy hair danced across his slightly anxious face. "Are you pleased with our marriage as well?"
Butterflies fluttered within my stomach as I gently placed my palm upon his damp cheek, unable to stop the big dorky smile from growing across my face. He leaned into my touch and the crown quietly twitched, awaiting my answer. "Yes, of course I am. I love you, Valarendrik, and there's no other man I'd rather have as my husband... Oouph!"
His lips once again yearnfully crashed to mine, swallowing away my gawky gasp as he excitedly spun us around yet again. I smiled and laughed into the kiss, letting my hands fall upon his armored shoulders to hold on as we twirled over the stream. The love and joy which swelled in my heart was far greater than anything I had ever known before. We were life and death. Husband and wife. And not kingdoms of horror nor the vastness between worlds could keep our ever bonded souls apart. Our future was uncertain, yet at that moment I knew in my heart that our fates would always be entwined. He was my dark savior and protector, my lover and prince, and now, my husband too. He was mine and I was his, and that was more beautiful than all the days of the earth.
The moonbeams caressed our embraced forms from above while the water glimmered like diamonds beneath us. We hovered upon shadows over the musically flowing current, enjoying the magic coursing between our souls. His ebon claws lovingly tucked my golden locks behind my ear, then he pressed his forehead to mine. "I love you too, Lucilia."
We stayed there for what felt like a long while, simply cherishing one another. Then he eventually glanced up, and his eyes widened in pure astonishment as he glimpsed the nearly full moon. "Holy fuck! Is that the sun!?" He abruptly blurted out, breaking our enchanted moment.
I peeked up as well, allowing the silvery celestial light to bathe my features for the first time in months. "No, that's just the moon. It's nighttime right now." I knowingly grinned at him with a giggle. "Trust me, it gets much brighter than this."
"Brighter than this?" He asked in disbelief and awe, still staring at the moon and stars. "I can hardly fathom that."
"Well, you'll see it soon enough. But for now, let's see if we can find our way out of this forest. I'm eager to get home so I can finally lay in my bed."
-: ✧ :-✧-: ✧ :-
"Lucilia! Look at these flowers! They're golden just like your hair!" Valarendrik excitedly exclaimed while rushing across the dirt road and gently running his claws over a few wispy goldenrod flowers. "Holy shit! And look at this!" My eyes struggled to keep up as he flashed back across the road like a shadowy whirlwind, stopping to point at a huge frilly cluster of bright orange chicken of the woods mushrooms growing at the base of an old oak. I shook my head with a slight giggle.
We'd been wandering down the forested road for what felt like a few hours now, trying to find our way back to civilization, and everything had been completely blowing his mind. From the tiniest glimmer of dew upon an orb web, to the vast sea of sparkling stars sprinkled throughout the heavens. The outer worlds of the cosmos, he'd called them. He seemed utterly fascinated by each and every blade of grass and mighty tree, zip-zoodling around in absolute exhilaration.
...Val is off the wall.
Being familiar with such mundane scenery, I was a bit more preoccupied with trying to figure out which roads to take to get home. Considering that we'd ended up back at the same spot where I'd first left earth, I knew we were in Sycamore Valley. Which meant that we weren't too far from Cedarville. If we could just make it to the town center, then we'd have a very good chance at finding our way out of this ghost town.
Worries filled my soul as I thought about what would happen once we did finally find our way back. I had already decided that I would tell Pema and my mother the full truth about everything that had happened to me. They were going to see my stomach swell with child, and there would be no hiding that fact that my baby wasn't fully human. It would be best to prepare them for the shock of it, and hopefully, they'd be accepting and I'd receive their support.
...But what if they don't accept my husband and child?
The sound of a small critter growling and snapping its jaws suddenly caught my attention. "Lucilia! Look at this wonderful earth creature!" Valarendrik was suddenly holding up a very frightened-looking red fox, eagerly examining its big bushy tail.
"What the!? How did you even catch that?"
Before I could say anything else, the fox was swiftly scurrying back into the bushes, no doubt running for its life. While Valarendrik had already leapt way high up, using his long sharp claws to hold onto the thick trunk of a giant black walnut tree. His shadowy cape and long midnight hair eerily fluttered out behind him against the backdrop of the moon, while he hastily stuck his head into a large a-symmetrical hole and began looking around like an ostrich.
My sore feet pattered over the packed dirt and small stones as I wearily strolled to the base of the tree. "What are you doing now?"
His head popped back out, then he looked down at me with a wide overly-excited grin. "I am looking for elves! They make sweet treats in hollow trees, do they not?"
"Yes, that's right." I responded without missing a beat, trying my best not to laugh. "Do you see any in there?"
"Um, no..." He peeked back in. "But there are a few fluffy grey birds with very large black eyes and flat yellow beaks."
"Oh!" I exclaimed in surprise. "Those must be owlets! You should come back down so you don't disturb their nest!" I hastily waved for him to come down.
His shadows swirled like a gust of wind, as he almost instantly reappeared right before me, with his heavy spiked boots not making a single sound as he landed. The menacing regal armor he wore combined with his predatory tenverian features made him look like a villainous dark elf straight out of Angband. Yet, child-like amazement and wonder twinkled in his crimson eyes and an overjoyed smile seemed stuck across his kindly face. His claws retracted, then his hand gently lifted my chin and his head swooped down to lovingly place his lips upon mine.
...He's high on the beauty of life.
"You seem to really be enjoying it here." I softly giggled against his lips.
"How could I not be!? This is the most beautiful and fascinating place I've ever been!" He gestured around the objectively boring dirt road. "Everything about this world is full of color and beauty! And to make things even better, I'm now married to the most beautiful woman I've ever laid eyes upon... and this beautiful bosom is all mine!" With a playful growl, he quickly zipped behind me and grabbed both of my breasts with his large clawed hands, giving them a good squeeze. He pulled my back against his front while kissing all over the side of my neck. His legs were somewhat spread to avoid stepping on my dress, making him appear a bit shorter.
"Oh, Valarendrik!" I laughed while he continued to play with my tits like a lickerish larry. My nipples wantonly beaded under his touch, while my butt pressed against the hard masculinity hidden within the expensive leather of his pants. Then two bright beaming lights in the distance suddenly caught our attention, accompanied by the sound of tires crunching over dirt and stone. "Oh, Valarendrik! someone's coming!" I exclaimed while turning to push him towards the woods. "Quick, hide! I'm going to see if I can ask them for directions!" We'd already discussed that this might happen.
He seemed highly hesitant, but began to float backwards towards the trees regardless. "Alright, but I will be keeping a very close eye on you." He warily glanced at the approaching vehicle, then fully retreated into the darkness with a swirl of shadows.
I squinted my eyes while waving my arms, seeming to have forgotten just how bright headlights were. Luckily most people didn't drive too fast on the dirt roads, making it easy to flag them down. The headlights beamed through the dust, while an old maroon sedan slowly sputtered to a stop right in front of me. The misty exhaust polluted the air with an eerie moonlit glow, as the blue-tinted driver's window softly squeaked as it rolled down.
A man who looked about mid-thirties curiously stared at me with concern in his dark brown eyes. His short light brown hair was slightly messy, and he had a pen and clipboard in one of his hands. "Hey, do you need any help?" He kindly inquired, despite clearly noticing my outlandish abyssal wedding attire.
With a slightly awkward wave, I took a few steps toward the car, glimpsing a nametag on his dark green polo shirt which read 'Kyle Turner'. "Um, hello there. Yes, actually, I do need help. You see, I was out here modeling for an artsy instagram photographer, and he seemed to have forgotten that he was supposed to be my ride home." I cleverly lied, hoping that my story sounded convincing and explained away my bizarre outfit. "I don't have my cell phone with me and I'm completely lost. Would you by chance be able to direct me back to Cedarville?"
"He just left you out here all alone? The nerve of some people." The man shook his head, seeming slightly outraged. "Well, luckily you're not too far off. To get to Cedarville, you'll want to continue on this road for a few more miles." He pointed out the window and down the road with his shiny silver pen, while something stirred behind me within the trees. "Take a right on West Pine Street, then another right on Black Larch Lane, and it's a straight shot to Cedarville center from there."
"Oh, thank you! Thank you so much! That's very helpful!" I placed my hand on my chest in relief with a gracious smile.
He leaned out of the car just a bit further and nervously glanced around. "In all honesty though, I don't mind giving you a ride back into town, if you want it? There have been some strange anomalies spotted in these woods. I've witnessed some stuff myself, and there have recently been reports of a Hellhound seen wandering around a spruce grove not too far from here." His eyes shifted back and forth with a somewhat crazed gleam, then he pointed at me with the pen. "It's really no troub-"
"AHHH!" I screamed with outstretched arms as a tendril of shadows abruptly wrapped around my waist and yanked me backwards up into the air like I was being dragged off to a violent death.
A deep ear-shattering abyssal roar that sounded like a thousand demonic voices echoing within the pits of hell poured from Valarendrik's mouth, as he angrily emerged out from the trees. His hair and shadows writhed around his floating spectral form like seething serpents, with his claws fully lengthened and his sharp tenverian teeth bared in an aggressive snarl. His eerie crimson gaze locked on the man with dark murderous intent while his crown of bones furiously twitched upon his head.
...Oh, shit.
With a shocked, horrified, and downright panicked expression, the man frantically stepped on the gas, fucking flooring it to the max. Small rocks and dust wildly spewed out from behind the spinning, screeching tires, as Valarendrik swiftly slashed at the car with his menacing blades, slicing the back right corner of the car's roof clean off with a violent spray of sparks. The large piece of severed metal hit the ground with a loud clack, while the car sped off fast enough to catch on fire.
"What the fuck are you doing!?" I frantically hollered, still wrapped in his shadows.
"He pointed a weapon at you!" Valarendrik furiously growled, staring off at the retreating vehicle as the dust settled around him. "Shall we chase him down and kill him?" The blades skillfully spun in his hands, eager for bloodshed.
"A weap-" I began, then dramatically placed my face in my palm and shook my head, causing my tiara to fall off again. "No! That was just a pen! It's something that's used to write with." His shadows caught my tiara and placed it back on my head while he gently lowered me back down. "He wasn't being threatening at all!"
His brows pinched together in confusion, then he sheathed his swords. "Oh... I see." He thoughtfully murmured while gazing down at the dilapidated piece of the car's roof. "I feel remorseful for damaging his traveling contraption then. Perhaps we should return the severed portion?"
"No, no, I'm sure the last thing that man wants is for us to go chasing him down." I shook my head. "Luckily he gave me the directions we need before you scared him off. Because believe me, I can't wait to get home. I'm tired, hungry, and my feet hurt."
Large arms immediately swooped me up, cradling my body against his strong chest bridal-style. "Then I shall carry you the rest of the way."
-: ✧ :-✧-: ✧ :-
After another hour or so of travel, running into a strange invisible barrier that Valarendrik could only pass through while wearing his enchanted necklace, and a few close calls with avoiding cars and sneaking through yards, we were finally standing just outside the rail fence of a familiar little red farmhouse, staring into the back yard. Crickets happily chirped all around and lofty maple branches wavered above our heads.
All the lights in the house were off, and a string of colorful Tibetan prayer flags gently fluttered beneath the upper porch which led to me and Pema's tiny apartment. The extensive garden looked ready for harvest, with long green pole beans whimsically dangling from wooden arches and an abundance of ripe tomatoes flourishing within metal cages. Bright orange carrot tops peeked up from the dark rich soil, while purple cabbages laid nestled in their nests of leaves, among many other colorful veggies. All the resident chickens were safely tucked away inside their little coop, peacefully slumbering through the night. The bright moon loomed upon the crest of the starry midnight blue sky, illuminating the distant mountains with a silvery glow.
"Alright, I'll go in first and make sure no one's awake, then I'll signal to you." I whispered to Valarendirk as though we were devising some sort of devious plan. "Pema's aunt, Ani Tsering, lives downstairs and is blind. So we don't need to worry about her seeing you. But I don't want to accidentally frighten Pema. I want to tell her about you before she sees you."
He nodded in approval, staring in fascination at the house. "Very well. I shall wait for your signal."
I carefully slipped from his grasp, then sneakily snuck across the lawn, being extra careful not to make a single sound. The bird feeders and various late summer flowers slightly swayed in the breeze, as I wrapped my hand around the porch railing. I cringed as the wooden steps creaked beneath my feet, while I slowly tip-toed my way up to the upper level. Like most houses in the relatively safe New England countryside, the little white door was foolishly left unlocked. I carefully pushed it open with a soft squeak, then flicked on the light.
"Dammit, Pema, you slob!" I angrily hissed under my breath.
The kitchen sink was full of dirty dishes. Cooking supplies and empty food packages were strewn across the old wooden countertops. Random junk cluttered our round wooden table, and other things were haphazardly laying around on the red tile floor. Dust clung to the airy white curtains that framed the diamond-paned windows, and all my plants were shriveled and covered in cobwebs.
"Fucking hell..." I quietly grumbled while scrunching up the bottom of my dress and stepping over a random ukulele to get into the hallway.
The rustic floorboards creaked beneath my feet, while I peeked my head into Pema's messy bedroom.... "Psst... Pema?"... Silence. It was completely empty, meaning she had spent the night somewhere else... Thank goodness!... I quickly pattered into my bedroom, seeing that everything was in order, just as I'd left it.
My vintage wrought iron bed was neatly made with my lacy pale green and cream-colored crocheted blanket, not a throw pillow out of place. While my wooden desk and dresser looked untouched. The dim glow from Speedy's tank softly illuminated the room, beaming across the ivory and gold-threaded throw rug and outdated floral wallpaper. I hastily rushed over to the window, shoving aside the lacy curtains, then moving all the poor suffering plants from the windowsill before opening it up and popping out the dusty screen.
"Psst! Valarendrik?" I softly called into the darkness of the night, while the cool breeze blew through my long golden hair.
A squall of shadows almost immediately suffocated the view of the stars and swirled inside like a sinister cloud of death. Black claws and pale grey fingers wrapped around the wide window frame while crimson eyes appeared within the darkness. I stood back as Valarendrik's nearly seven-foot otherworldly frame effortlessly slipped inside, looking like something straight out of some cheesy fantasy horror film.
"Well, welcome to my room." I held out my hands and gestured around with a slight laugh. It felt weird having a fucking alien abyss prince of all people in my humble rustic-style bedroom, but then I remembered that he lived in a cave when we first met.
His shadows all vanished around him, leaving not even the slightest wisp in his silky raven hair. He curiously glanced around with a soft smile, taking it all in with genuine admiration. "This is a very lovely earth home you have."
"Thank you." I giggled despite swaying from exhaustion. "And this is Speedy, my pet turtle!" I scurried over to the tank and pointed at the little shelled fellow who was basking on his favorite rock, surrounded by tiny lilypads.
Valarendrik leaned down to take a peek, with a wide amused grin stretching across his face. "Oh, wow! He looks very similar to an abyssal testak!... Only, far less threatening." He tapped his chin while examining the small creature.
A yawn slipped from my lips, catching Valarendrik's attention. "Well, I'll give you a grand tour in the morning, but for now I say we go to bed."
His claws curled beneath my chin and his thumb caressed my cheek. "Yes, I can see that you are very much lacking sleep."
We both lovingly helped one another undress... Or at least Valarendrik helped me, while I failed to even figure out how to unclip his cape before he forced me to lay down. I had smuggled the letter from Oliver to his deceased lover in my dress, so I placed it on my desk for safekeeping before obeying his orders and crawling into bed.
An owl hooted outside, while our naked bodies finally laid cozily snuggled up to one another beneath the warm blanket. The crown softly twitched while he tenderly caressed my upper arm with the smooth backs of his claws. My cheek rested over his unbeating heart, with a hand curled around his strong thick bicep. It was surreal to be back home. All the death and darkness of the abyss suddenly seemed like it had all been a mere dream. Yet the otherworldly man holding me in his arms was validation that it had truly been my reality.
Trepidation flooded my weighted thoughts as they drifted to my impending motherhood and the unknown future, but I was grateful to be safely tucked into Valarendrik's loving embrace... Even if I was trying to ignore the raging boner pushing into my hip.
"Valarendrik?" I gently whispered.
"Yes, Lucilia?" His deep voice softly rumbled.
"I'm glad you're my husband."
His hand affectionately gave my upper arm a loving squeeze. "And I'm glad you're my wife."
With a content smile, I allowed my weariness to finally pull me into slumber, faintly hearing Valarendrik's perverted proclamations about how he intends to consummate our marriage once I reawaken.